Strangers in the Night
by Midnight-in-Russia
Summary: I think this is my best work yet. An alternate universe in which Roy lives in New York. He meets Edward and learns his interesting story. He is fascinated by the twenty-two year-old blond as soon as he meets him. What will ensue? Only romance.... RoyEd.
1. Chapter 1

Roy Mustang was a man of charm. He was a man of intelligence. He was a man of class. He was a very attractive, very wealthy man. He had not always been wealthy; of course he had worked hard for the money he earned. Roy was a well-respected surgeon. He had been for about seven years now. He was twenty-nine years old - going on thirty in a few months.

Bringing in a whopping 181,000 dollars a year ensured that he had a rather spacious home, yet no one to share it with. At twenty-nine years old, he should at least be engaged, should he not? Goodness knows his best friend Maes Hughes was forever urging him to get a wife. Sure, he had dated many women in his days, but never had one captured his attention for more than a day or two.

He was quite the ladies' man. It seemed like every week he would have at least two new dates lined up. They would go well, of course, as long as he pretended like he actually gave a damn about what they were saying. Almost all of them were the same. They looked classy on the outside, which was all well and dandy, but once conversation started, Roy utterly lost nearly all interest in the woman. Except for the physical interest, that is.

They were all the same. Maybe they were all clones. He had no idea. They would ask him about himself. He would say that he was a surgeon. They would always be impressed. They would agree with everything he said. Not one of them had a mind of their own. They just agreed with him for the sake of getting him to like them. When it came to their goals, they were lost. Most of the women pictured themselves being a top-rate trophy wife.

That was all they wanted. His money. Of course they all thought he was handsome; that was a plus to them. He had money, and they wanted to get their greedy, manicured claws all over it. All they wanted to do was sit around all day in his house, drinking expensive wine and using his money to buy new outfits and haircuts and such.

That was why Roy never got too close to a woman. That, and they were just plain boring. They could at least be less willing to sleep with him. He liked a bit of a challenge. He contemplated moving out of New York; maybe the women in the country would be more of a challenge. But he figured women would be women no matter where he went, so he stayed right where he was - New York City.

At the moment, he was in a club of some sort. It was rather old-timey, but he liked that. The place was classy enough, and the music was jazzy. He loved jazz music. His dates never shared that particular interest. They were into hip-hop or whatever crap twenty-one year-olds listened to these days. He was twenty-nine, but he always figured he had been born in the wrong time period.

Swing music. Big-band. Whatever you wanted to call it, Roy loved it. He snapped his fingers and tapped his foot as he stood beside the bar, watching older couples dance haphazardly. That brought a small smile to his face. He watched one particular elderly couple move to the music. It was a Kodak moment, for sure.

He paused to order a drink and then continued watching the old couple dance to "In the Mood". He felt his spirits lifting already, even without the alcohol in his system. This was his favorite place to go after a long, hard day at work. He liked his job, but sometimes it was just too stressful. He didn't really have to go very often, because the lower surgeons took care of mostly everything, but if the surgery was complicated enough, he had to go in.

He sighed as the song neared its ending. A drink was slid across the bar and stopped neatly in front of him, the contents not even spilling over the side of the glass. His midnight-blue eyes scanned the room for any eligible bachelorettes, but his search turned up nothing. He sighed again and waited for the next song to play.

----------------

"Oh, come on, Brother. It'll be _fun_!" Alphonse Elric grabbed his older, yet shorter, brother's hand and pulled him into the club. Winry Rockbell, Al's fiancée, followed after the brothers, making sure that Edward Elric couldn't get away if he tried.

"Your definition of fun is completely different than mine, Al!" Ed protested, shoving his younger brother away. He tried to turn around, but ran into a smug Winry.

"You're going whether you like it or not, Ed. You haven't left the house since Moira broke up with you _two months ago_. You need to have some fun," Winry gave him a stern look. Ed hoped that the blonde woman hadn't brought her wrench with her. Yes, she loved to hit him over the head with a wrench when he acted up. Yes, she was crazy. Absolutely psycho.

Moira. She had dumped Ed for another man. An _older_ man who didn't spend all his time at the library. So what if he liked to read a lot? What was wrong with that? They had only been going out for four months, but she still had hurt his feelings deeply. She had been his only semi-serious girlfriend in...ever. He had never come so close to loving someone before. He cared for her deeply. She was intelligent, pretty, and easy to get along with. But she had left him. His pride was broken.

"Come on, Brother. I know you love jazz, so I found this place with you in mind. Please enjoy yourself. If not for yourself then for me?" Al gave him the puppy eyes. Of course, the eyes hadn't actually worked on him since they were little kids, but Ed always gave in when Al made that face. But the face didn't work on Ed. Really. (Someone's in denial.)

"Fine," Ed agreed, albeit grudgingly. He would try to enjoy himself, though he knew it wasn't going to happen. His spirits were lifted on a miniscule scale when he heard Frank Sinatra's soothing voice oozing out of the speakers. That man's voice could soothe him even on the worst of days.

He recognized the song immediately. It was called "New York, New York". It wasn't his favorite, but the song was pretty good. Winry led Alphonse to the dance floor, leaving Edward feeling quite lonely. Al gave Ed an apologetic look before dashing off to the center of the floor where the couple was undoubtedly dancing horribly to music they knew nothing about.

Ed sulked, walking over to the bar with his head down and his shoulders hunched. He wanted to enjoy the evening, but he was having such a hard time getting his mind off of Moira. He glanced at all the alcohol behind the bar and smirked half-heartedly. He figured he might as well drown his sorrows in a bottle of Vodka while he was here.

He could certainly spare some money to spend on drinks. He was pretty well-off for a twenty-two year-old. He had devoted his life to researching ways to improve prosthetics in a way no one had before. He, himself, had two prosthetic limbs. His right arm looked nearly like flesh, but it wasn't. The lower half of his left leg was fake as well. His mood worsened as he remembered the terrible car accident that had cost him two of his limbs and his mother's life. He shivered at the memory and shoved it out of his mind.

He caught a glimpse of Winry and Al dancing horribly, as expected, but they seemed to be having a fantastic time. Maybe they were just putting on a show to let Ed see how happy he could be if he just lightened up. He nodded his head to himself. He could do this - he could have fun like a normal twenty-two year-old. He would show that stupid Moira (figuratively speaking; she wasn't actually at the club to be "showed at"). She couldn't ruin his life, _or_ his love life. Yep, he would show her...as soon as he found someone to dance with. He gulped. '_Fuck,_' he thought.

-------------

Roy knew he was on the verge of getting drunk. He didn't care though. He could stay out all night if he wanted to. It wasn't as if he had a wife or family to go home to or anything. Unless you counted Hughes as a wife. That man worried about Roy enough to be considered his wife. Roy loved his best friend to death, don't get him wrong, but the man could be...overbearing sometimes. Like when he set him up with that blind date. The one who could hardly speak English. Yeah.

Roy's eyes continued to scan the room for an eligible bachelorette. They rested on a young blonde girl dancing (terribly) with a dark blond male with a ponytail. He glanced at her left hand. Wedding or engagement ring. Okay, off the market. '_Too bad. She was decent-looking,_' Roy thought with mock-sadness. Oh well. There were plenty of good-looking fish in the sea, right?

He turned to his right and raised an eyebrow. There was a short blonde standing about two feet away from him, apparently scanning the room just as he had been doing a few seconds ago. From the side, it appeared to be female...just a flat-chested female. Quite attractive though. She had a cute ponytail. Roy looked at the blonde's left hand to see no ring. He smirked.

He walked nonchalantly over to where the blonde stood, tapping her foot to the beat of the ending song. A new song began to play. Another Frank Sinatra song. "Strangers in the Night" it was called. Roy's smirk grew. Perfect.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help noticing that you don't have a partner with you," Roy started off in a smooth voice, silently praising himself for his suaveness. "May I have this dance?" He held out a hand to her, wanting to chuckle at her bewildered expression.

"Uh.... Sorry. I'm...not...gay," the (surprise!) guy said, slowly. Roy barely kept the shock from showing on his face. He decided to play it off, pretending like he had actually meant to ask a man to dance. It would have been insulting to the other man if he had said "oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were a woman". He coughed into his other hand, blushing ever so slightly.

"Oh.... Pardon me," Roy excused himself and walked over to the exit as quickly as he could without running. He heard hurried footsteps coming after him, but he made no sign to show that he had, indeed, heard.

"No, wait! Stop!" The short blond chased him rather easily. Roy opened the door anyway and walked out of the club. The blond guy followed. Deciding that the shorter man would not give up, Roy stood by the door and waited for the other to speak.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," the blond panted very slightly, putting his hands on his hips. "I guess I was just a little taken aback." He eyed Roy warily.

"No, no. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Roy was still pretty embarrassed. He wouldn't have even been this embarrassed if the guy had said yes to his offer. No, the guy just _had_ to reject him. That was a moderate hit on his pride.

"Well, I didn't have to be such a dick about it," the blond countered, smiling a little.

"Well...yeah, you're right," Roy agreed, jokingly. This earned a glare from the shorter man.

"I'm Edward Elric," Ed stuck out his left hand. Roy found this interesting, but he made no comment about it.

"Roy Mustang," Roy shook Ed's hand with his own left hand.

Ed looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. Roy, instead of following the blond's gaze, took this opportunity to observe the shorter, and obviously younger male beside him. Golden bangs framed his face while a matching golden ponytail shone in the dim light provided by the neon sign above. He had handsome facial features. And the most dazzling amber eyes....

"Some night, eh?" Ed stated, still looking up at the night sky.

"Yeah," Roy murmured in agreement, still looking at his new acquaintance with fascination. "Some night."

Ed caught his gaze and grinned.

"Well, my brother and his fiancée are in there probably wondering where I am," Ed pointedly averted his gaze, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground. Roy nearly smiled. Edward felt bad about leaving him. How cute.

"Oh, alright. Yeah, I'd better get back home. I've got to get up early. It was nice meeting you, Edward," Roy stuck his left hand out, remembering Ed's odd preference.

"You too, Roy," Ed shook the hand with a firm grip, pumping it twice. The blond gave him an apologetic smile and turned his back to the older man, his prosthetic hand on the door handle.

"And if you ever change your mind about that dance, I'll be here again on Friday night!" Roy called over his shoulder, giving a low chuckle. Ed grinned, although he knew Roy couldn't see it.

"I'll think about it!" The younger male called back before heading inside of the club once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Roy woke up the next morning in a foul mood. He had hardly slept at all the previous night. He had had too many things on his mind and not enough sleeping pills.

Sighing, he finger-combed his hair and stood up. Feeling more than a little dizzy, he stumbled over to his wardrobe and pulled open the doors. He was greeted with his reflection; he grimaced. His skin looked unnaturally pale, he was unshaven, and his hair was a mess. He sighed again and cringed. And he desperately needed to brush his teeth. (Doesn't Roy sound appealing?)

Roy's head pounded as he got dressed and headed for the bathroom. He shaved, brushed his teeth, and tucked his black shirt into his black slacks. He gave himself a once-over in the dust-streaked mirror before deeming himself "decent".

Clomping downstairs, Roy mentally made a list of things he had to do, which was, fortunately, not very much. As he passed the kitchen counter, he snagged a green apple off of it and bit into it, holding the fruit with his teeth as he went outside, slamming the front door behind himself.

He looked at his car, pausing for a split second before deciding that it was too nice a day for driving. He preferred to walk whenever he could. Besides, he hated New York traffic jams. As he walked, he was glad that he'd chosen to forgo his scarf today; it was seventy-two degrees outside.

Roy sauntered down the sidewalk, eating his apple as he made his way toward the inner city. By the time he reached the new bookshop, he'd finished his apple. He tossed the core into a nearby garbage can, not even looking to see if he made it or not. He knew he had.

The bookstore wasn't as busy as Roy thought it would be. For this, he was thankful. Strolling over to the new releases, he picked up the first book that caught his eye.

"The Spacecraft," he read off of the cover, contorting his face into something akin to confusion.

"I've read it. Don't. It's not worth the time," a voice came from behind him. Roy jumped minutely and spun around.

"Edward!" Roy managed to play off his surprise very well once he recovered. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah," Ed replied, "Imagine that." His facial expression became vacant for a moment, almost as if he were in a daze, but he shook his head and looked (up) at the taller man.

"What are you looking for?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, the nonfiction section. Do you know where that is?" Roy asked, hoping the answer was yes. He hated reading fiction. He preferred about things that actually existed and happened – not some make-believe crap.

"Oh, yeah. It's back here," Ed said, walking towards the back of the store.

"Let me guess. Follow you, right?" Roy asked, smirking.

"You got it," Ed turned around and smiled at him. Roy couldn't help but follow closely behind his new companion.

They reached the tall bookshelves in the back, and they stopped, gazing up at the vast selection.

"Here you go," Ed said, turning to the taller man, only to realize that Roy was already deeply absorbed in a book about…penguins? Ed stifled a snicker and started scanning the shelves himself.

After about ten minutes of sorting through different books, a loud rumble filled the silence. Ed flushed a deep shade of scarlet and held his stomach. Roy chuckled.

"Hungry," Roy asked.

Ed grinned sheepishly and nodded. "Didn't have any breakfast."

"Neither did I," he said, already forming a question in his mind. "Would you like to join me for breakfast?"

Ed looked genuinely surprised at this.

"Um…sure," he replied.

In no time at all, they were practically sprinting toward the nearest café, stomachs empty and wallets full. By the time they paid for their meals, their stomachs were full, but their wallets – damn near empty.

They walked down the sidewalk like old pals after having spent the entire morning in each others' company. Roy had found out a few things about Edward, as Edward found out a few things about Roy.

As it turned out, Ed lived in, not a house, but a hotel. He had a prosthetic arm and leg. He had lost his family in a car accident. And he was twenty-two-years-old.

When they reached the Sherlock Hotel, they stopped and admired the breeze in the trees before standing around awkwardly, an embarrassed silence between them.

"Ed…I have a question. And please don't be offended," Roy added nervously. He couldn't believe what he was about to ask the young blond in front of him. Said blond shrugged.

"Okay," he said.

"Alright," Roy blew out a deep breath and took the plunge, "Would you like to stay at my house?"

Ed gaped like a fish. "Are you crazy?! I couldn't intrude on you like that! Besides, you don't even know me that well. I could be an insane psycho-maniac necrophiliac or something!"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Are you?"

Ed glared. "No."

"Then you can stay at my place. Look, it's pointless for you to keep wasting your money, paying for your hotel room week-by-week when I've got a perfectly good guest bedroom for you to use," Roy argued.

"I-" Edward stammered, looking down at his black jacket as he fiddled with his sleeves.

"C'mon. It's fine, Ed," Roy said reassuringly. Ed looked him square in the eye, amber orbs seeming to glow in the sunlight.

"I…. Alright. See you tomorrow," he muttered.

And with that, they went their separate ways, each man thinking of the next day to come.


	3. Chapter 3

The very next morning, Roy awoke to his doorbell ringing. And ringing. And ringing. He grumbled and cursed whoever woke him up. It wasn't even eleven o'clock in the morning yet! He pulled open the front door to find Edward with a suitcase in hand, still pushing the doorbell. He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Surprise," Ed said, still grinning. "Nice outfit, by the way," he snickered at the blue pajama pants covered with yellow ducks...oh, and the matching shirt.

"Uh..." Roy blinked, stupidly for a few seconds before stepping aside to admit Edward into his house.

"Sorry I'm a bit early. The hotel manager heard I was leaving and actually helped me pack," Ed chuckled uncomfortably.

_Well this is awkward_, Roy thought inwardly.

"Uhh...come in," Roy waved him in, yawning. He was still barely half-awake.

"Not a morning person are you?" Ed mocked, dragging his huge suitcase over the threshold. He studied the room, smiling ever so slightly as he did so.

"Such a bachelor pad," the blond joked, although he did think the place could use a bit of sprucing up.

"Yeah, I know. I should hire an interior decorator," Roy babbled on to himself as he walked into the kitchen with Ed in tow.

"Nah. Why hire someone to spend all your money on crap for you? I bet I could do a better job than most interior designers," Ed smirked, grabbing a green apple off of the counter as he passed it.

"Oh really?" Roy smirked back, making eye contact with Edward, whose smirk disappeared quickly.

"I mean - yeah - probably...."

"Alright then.... How about this, Edward: you decorate your new room, and if I like your style, I'll pay you to help me decorate my house," the older bargained, leaning against the refrigerator.

"I don't know about th--" Ed started, but as Roy's smirk grew triumphant he changed his choice of words. "th--the you paying me thing. I don't want your money."

Roy shrugged.

"Fine by me. Let's get you settled in before we tear apart the house and rennovate it though," he joked, leading Ed into the unused dining room.

"This is where I should be eating. Instead, I eat in every room - bathroom excluded - except for this one," Roy explained in a joking tone although he was dead serious.

"Mhmm," Ed nodded, dragging his suitcase along behind him, scattering hideous rugs in the process. Neither of the men bothered to fix them.

"Here's the laundry room," Roy opened a random door. "And here's the first bathroom." He opened the door on the opposite side, revealing a decent-sized room, yet very bland and in dire need of decorations.

"You saw the living room already, so upstairs we go. Leave your suitcase at the foot of the stairs; I'll get it later," he said firmly. Ed complied.

_Stomp_. _Stomp_. _Stomp_. They were at the top of the stairs; the landing.

"The door right in front of you is another bathroom," Roy opened the door to show a bigger bathroom than the last.

"Off to the right is my room," he gestured toward his right but made no move to open the door. At Ed's curious expression he added, "it's a biohazard."

"And to your left," Roy walked to his left, "are two rooms. One is your bedroom and the other is a study room. Feel free to use the study room at any time. I have my own desk in my room."

"M'kay," Ed took a bite out of his apple and opened the door to his room. He stepped into the plain room and put a hand on his hip, studying it. Roy quirked an eyebrow and awaited some form of appreciation or gratitude.

"I'm definitely redecorating this joint," Ed said more to himself than to Roy, who rolled his eyes.

"Feel free to. Do you want to go out for breakfast or have it here?" Roy prayed it was the former. He almost never cooked for himself. Actually, he _never _cooked for himself. His kitchen supplies and groceries were scarce.

Ed observed Roy's expression for a moment before smirking.

"Here. It's lunch-time by the way," he said.

Roy cursed his luck. It was like Edward could read his mind or something.

"Well, what'll it be? Cereal...toast...uhh...cereal?" Roy suggested in a smaller-than-normal voice. Ed rolled his eyes.

"I'll do the cooking, old man," he pushed past the "old man" and headed downstairs - shouts of "THERE'S NOT A GREY HAIR ON MY HEAD" following him all the way down the stairs.

Ed wrenched open every cabinet in the kitchen, hoping to find something edible, but his search turned up nothing. He tapped his foot on the floor in an impatient manner, crossing his arms over his chest. Roy came downstairs to find the blond standing like this.

"What's _your_ problem? No one called _you_ old," Roy huffed, still checking his bangs for grey hairs.

"It's not that," Ed flailed his hands, gesturing to all of the empty cabinets.

"What?" Roy was clueless.

"What do you _eat_ around here?" Ed was feeling testy. The only thing he had eaten that morning was a green apple, after-all.

"I usually eat at fast food places," the older man stopped compulsively checking his hair and now his onyx eyes rested on Edward, who was too busy rolling his eyes to notice.

"C'mon," Ed walked out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"Where are we going?" Roy gave him a puzzled look.

"Grocery shopping. I've got money," Ed patted his left back pocket, where Roy assumed the blond's wallet would be found. Unless he was implying something else....

"Oh, you have money stuffed up your ass? No wonder you're so uptight. You should really find a new place to put your wallet," Roy snickered wickedly when Ed threw him a glare.

"Come on," he urged the black-haired man, zipping up his black jacket. He brushed his golden bangs out of his face as he watched Roy with mild curiosity. The older man was undoing the buttons of his ducky shirt.

"Uh..." Ed was at a loss for words.

"What? Do you expect me to go to the super-market dressed in _this_?" He gestured to his duck-covered blue pajamas.

"Oh, right...." Ed shifted from foot-to-foot and averted his gaze accordingly.

Roy shrugged the shirt off and tossed it onto the white sofa before he walked out of the room, leaving Edward to poke around the room.

There wasn't much to look at. The carpet was navy blue while the walls were plain white. There were but a few paintings on the wall and a book shelf not too far away from the sofa. There was a house plant on top of the big-screen television along with a few scattered DVDs. Ed sighed and made a mental note to buy some new movies while they were out.

He waited for five more minutes before Roy came back downstairs and into the living room dressed in a button-down crimson shirt and black slacks. He tugged on the end of his sleeves and smiled at the golden man in front of him.

_What an interesting turn my life has taken_, Roy thought as he observed the impatient twenty-two year-old standing in front of him, tapping his prosthetic foot with vigor. _Very interesting, indeed_.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next few days, the two men discovered things about each other by observation. It was a fun experience; Roy and Ed learned the little things that made each other tick.

Roy learned that Ed almost never woke up before nine o'clock. He preferred green apples to red. He always left the toilet seat up. And most importantly: don't try to have a conversation with Ed while he's trying to read, because it may result in injury.

Ed discovered that Roy's favorite colors were navy blue and white; that had certainly explained the lack of color in the house. Roy almost always woke up at six o'clock in the morning. The man couldn't cook to save his life if he had to. And most importantly: he was allergic to anything coconut. Ed had learned that lesson the hard way.

They also learned of their similarities. Their favorite singer was Frank Sinatra. Both of them liked to read. Both men liked to sing, though never in front of anyone. Neither of the men liked Valentine's Day.

They had accepted their differences and embraced their similarities, but they both knew that there was so much more to learn about one another.

Days flew by and the decoration project was starting to shape up. The hideous wallpaper in Roy's bathrooms had been stripped off of the walls. They had already bought paint for the bathrooms; Ed had chosen a calming baby-blue paint with matching rugs for the bare, tiled floors. They hadn't gotten around to painting yet, but they decided that they would do the bathrooms after they had rennovated the rest of the house.

So that brings us to Thursday night....

"Hey! Roy?! Where'd you go? Get your ass in here and help me paint these damned walls!" Ed bellowed, wiping the sweat off of his brow. Newspapers were spread all over the kitchen floor. Blue tape separated the walls from the ceiling and cabinets. The refrigerator had been moved to the middle of the room. And Ed was ready to get to work.

"ROY!" He shouted, stomping into the living room to find the man. Said man was sprawled out across the couch in his ducky pajamas, seemingly asleep.

"What are you doing?!" Ed demanded, causing the man to jump up, guiltily.

"I was...uh...making sure that the couch didn't have any dust bunnies on it," was his excuse. He even had the gall to brush off the couch with his hand, as if demonstrating. Ed's eyebrow twitched dangerously.

"In the kitchen. Now," Ed ordered in a clipped tone.

Roy knew better than to think that Ed was actually mad at him. The blond was just impatient and could hardly wait to start painting. Roy suspected that Ed had a secret passion for interior decorating.

The dark-haired man walked past the blond but paused to turn around and observe him for a moment. What the....

"Ed? What the _hell_ are you wearing?" Roy asked, though he already knew the answer.

"What? You've never seen overalls before?" Ed raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so.

"Well, I have, but not since the 80s and 90s," a grin crept onto Roy's face as he watched the blond scowl at him. He was being honest; he really hadn't seen anyone wear overalls in a long time. It surprised him when he realized that Ed could actually make the overalls look _good_. The blond wore a long-sleeved white shirt underneath them - the sleeves were rolled up. He had forgone shoes today, instead preferring to walk around the house barefoot. To top it all off, his ponytail was how it usually looked, though today Ed had decided to tie a small white ribbon around the hair-tie.

Ed huffed and walked into the kitchen with Roy in tow. The twenty-nine-year-old was amazed at the fact that the refrigerator now stood in the middle of the room. He wondered how Ed, as small as he was, had moved the humongous object.

"Alright. Here's the paint," Ed pointed to two containers of paint. Roy wondered what color was inside. Ed had requested that an employee at the store mix two colors together to produce a specific shade. Roy had wandered off in search of anything that caught his eye. When he had returned, the paint containers were already sealed, and Ed was ready to go.

"Here are the paint trays," Ed bustled around the kitchen, setting the trays on a random newspaper.

"And here are our paint rollers," he handed one to Roy and kept his own on the countertop.

The blond bent down and removed the lid from the first container of paint; Roy peeked over his shoulder to see what the secret color was. He hoped it wouldn't be too bold. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the light green liquid inside of the container. Ed heard the sigh and looked over his should at the man, grinning.

"What? Did you think I was gonna pick something like orange or pink?" He teased, pouring a generous amount of paint into a tray.

"I'll admit that I was uneasy about it," Roy chuckled, still thanking his lucky stars.

"I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing, Mustang," Ed smirked, stretching sideways to grab his roller off of the countertop.

"Oh, reverted to last names, have we, Elric?" Roy dipped his roller into the tray full of paint and watched as the roller soaked it up, turning the top part a minty green.

"Yep," Ed replied, doing the same. They grinned and began the painstaking process of painting the kitchen walls.

A couple of hours and more than a few snack breaks later, they were finished painting for the day. The smell of fresh paint wafted through the air, causing both men to feel slightly woozy.

"Shall I order take-out? We can eat in the living room," Roy suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Ed replied, setting the empty paint containers in the trash bin in the corner of the room. He surveyed their handiwork, nodding his approval. After Roy was done ordering the food, the pair decided to set up the living room for a movie night. Roy was more than ready; Ed had recently bought Spiderman 3, a movie he had been longing to watch ever since it had come out on DVD.

Twenty minutes later, they both stood next to the couch in the living room. The couch was facing a window while the big, flat-screen television, while at an angle, faced the couch from the opposite corner. Roy threw the cushions off of the couch and grabbed the handle of the pull-out bed.

The doorbell rang and Ed announced that he would get it. When the blond returned with two arms full of take-out, the bed was unfolded and ready for use. Pillows and blankets were arranged accordingly, and the remote sat on a small table next to the sofa/bed.

Ed set each box down carefully on the small table and left the room in favor of getting the drinks. By now he knew that Roy liked water with almost any meal, while he (himself) preferred soda. He poured water into one glass and Pepsi into another. Upon returning with the drinks, he discovered that Roy had already begun fast-forwarding through the previews.

They had a good time, enjoying both the movie and each other's company. Both men were exhausted by the end of the movie. Ed laid down, watching the ending credits until they all became a big blur as he drifted off to sleep. Roy snuck glances at his companion and smiled to himself as he thought of the fun they had had that day. His life certainly wasn't as boring as it had once been, and he was grateful for that. His mind lingered on a certain blond as sleep slowly came to him, claiming him and his exhausted mind so that he could finally rest.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Roy who woke up first the next morning. He groaned quietly at the sunlight shining through his closed eyelids. Birds chirped happily in the distance, effectively annoying the hell out of Roy. He opened his eyelids to find that he could see nothing other than a mass of what seemed to be golden thread obscuring his vision.

He wondered why there would be thread on his bed at all, especially confused as to why it was on his face. He realized that he was not on his bed. He was on his living room sofa/bed. He remembered the movie and the take-out and nodded inwardly. But that still didn't explain the golden thread. He moved the stuff off of his face and brushed up against something else. He felt around. It was a head. Then it dawned on him. The "golden thread" was Ed's hair. He chuckled at his own stupidity.

He looked down the length of his blanket-covered body and saw an arm slung haphazardly across his waist. It wasn't his arm though; it was Ed's arm. He shifted uncomfortably and froze when he felt something warm and hard pressed up against his leg. He tried not to squirm for fear of waking up the blond. Cue Maes Hughes to come a'knockin' at the worst possible time.

"Roooy! Time to wake up!" The doorbell rang repeatedly as his friend continued to shout wake-up-calls.

Ed stirred in his sleep, opening an eyelid to look at Roy, questioningly. Roy blushed slightly, as did Ed upon realizing their position. The blond muttered an embarrassed apology and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The dark-haired-man rolled out of bed and answered the door.

"Roy! What's up? I was just stopping by to - " Hughes caught sight of Edward in the living room, gathering all of the pillows and blankets into his arms. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company!"

"It's alright. Come on in," Roy sighed, admitting the bespectacled man into his house.

"Is that paint I smell?" Hughes sniffed the air, glancing at Ed with a curious expression on his face.

The blond disappeared into the kitchen and trudged upstairs to the bedrooms, placing the pillows and blankets in their respective rooms.

"So who's the kid?"

Roy led Hughes into the kitchen, forgetting the fact that newspapers were still scattered all over the hardwood floor.

"My new roommate. His name's Edward," Roy yawned, stretching his limbs as he walked over to the coffee machine.

"Oh really?" A devious smile appeared on Maes' handsome features. "Glad to hear it. You need someone to keep an eye on you."

"Of course," Roy sighed, expecting the full-blown speech at any moment, but it didn't come.

"Nice paint by the way," Hughes added, smiling at the bright room.

"Thanks. Ed picked it out," Roy replied in a monotone.

"So how old is he?" The other pressed on, intent on getting the details.

"Twenty-two," a voice answered from the doorway. Ed had returned to the kitchen, wearing a t-shirt and some black sweatpants.

"Ah, to be young again," Hughes grinned and stepped forward, sticking his right hand out. Hesitantly, Ed grabbed it with his prosthetic hand and shook it. If Hughes had noticed the fake limb, he made no sign to indicate that he had.

"Maes Hughes," the older of the two introduced himself.

"Edward Elric. Call me Ed," the blond grinned. They released hands and stepped back.

"Well, I'm gonna go to that bookshop again. I've got my cell phone on if you decide you need something while I'm out," Ed glanced at Roy as he retreated into the living room, slipping on his shoes.

"Alright," Roy's voice sounded throughout the room as he opened the door, darted out, and closed it behind him.

Ed breathed in the fresh air and smiled, letting the summer breeze ruffle his bangs. He walked down the steps, thinking as he did so. He wondered if Roy was disgusted by what had happened that morning. He couldn't believe he had been clinging to Roy when he woke up. He decided that if his roommate asked about it, he would blame it on the fact that he had slept like that with his ex-girlfriend - even though they had never even slept together. Nodding to himself, he made his way down the street to the local bookshop, debating on whether or not to buy something for Roy....

Roy poured coffee into two mugs and handed one of them to Hughes who nodded, appreciatively. He inhaled the heavenly aroma and sighed, taking a sip of the hot beverage. He and Hughes stood there for a moment in a comfortable silence until...

"Soooo, Rooooy.... How'd you two meet?"

"We're not dating, Hughes. I'm straight," Roy closed his eyelids and sipped his coffee, trying to forget that his friend was in the room.

"Sure, sure. I didn't say you were gay, did I? So defensive..." Maes smirked at his friend, knowingly.

"We met at that one club. "All That Jazz", I think it's called."

"Oh, so he likes the same kind of music that you do? Interesting, interesting. Go on," Maes urged.

"He lived in a hotel, so a day later I asked him if he wanted to stay at my place until he found a home of his own," Roy said in a clipped voice, knowing what was coming next.

"Kind of quick there, weren't you? You only knew him for two days before y--"

"I _know_, Maes," Roy interrupted, running a hand through his hair out of annoyance.

"Alright, calm down. I was just saying," Hughes rolled his eyes and sipped some coffee.

A deafening silence overtook the room as both men became lost in their thoughts. Thunder broke the silence, and both men glanced out of the window above the sink. Grey clouds were drifting across the sky, darkening with each passing minute.

"Unusual weather we're having," Roy commented, watching the clouds as they floated through the sky.

"Maybe you should call Ed. Look's like a storm is coming," Hughes suggested, earning a nod from Roy.

They walked into the living room with their mugs and sat down on the pull-out bed. Roy set his mug down on the table that was littered with empty take-out boxes and opened the drawer to pull out his cell phone. He dialed Ed's number and waited as it rang. He switched it to loud-speaker and set it down on the table in favor of picking up his mug.

"Hello?" Ed's voice filled the room along with a low rumble of thunder from both ends of the phone.

"Hey, Ed. I think a storm is on it's way, so why don't you head home, and we'll go to the bookstore some other time, alright?" Roy bargained.

"I'm already here though," Ed's irritation was apparent in his voice.

"Fine," Roy resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "wait there. I'll pick you up in my car in a little while. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Ed said before murmuring a "bye" and hanging up.

"Well, I'm gonna go. Gracia's at home with Elycia. I was actually out buying birthday presents for my dear Gracia and decided to check up on you. Her birthday's in a couple of weeks. We were thinking of throwing a surprise party for her; what do you think?"

"Sounds like fun," Roy absent-mindedly agreed as he searched for his car keys.

"I'll see you later, Roy," Hughes waved as he walked out of the door.

Roy waved back and jogged through the kitchen and up the stairs. He shed his clothes and decided to wear a white, button-down shirt with his usual black slacks. He got dressed in record time and flew down the stairs, cursing his luck when he heard rain pounding on the roof above. A low rumble of thunder urged him to hurry up.

He grabbed his cell phone off of the small table in the living room and slipped on his black shoes. Forgoing his jacket, he opened the front door and locked it behind him, taking the steps two at a time as he descended them. The rain poured down upon his unprotected head, plastering his black hair against his head.

Blinking rain water from his eyes, Roy opened the door to his car and started it, shivering. He closed the door once he was inside and put it in reverse. He backed out of his driveway and shifted gears again, heading for the bookshop.

The rain pounded on the roof of the car as Roy drove down the street, humming a random tune. He arrived at the bookstore and came to a stop, parking the car on the side of the road. Ed came out of the store with a bag in his hand. The blond looked like he was about to be swallowed by baggy black sweatpants he was wearing. But at the same time he looked...cute.

Holding a receipt with his teeth, Ed opened the car door and hopped inside, causing the car to shake. He closed the door and spat out the receipt, stuffing it into the plastic bag that read "Walden Books" on it.

"Buy anything worth reading?" Roy teased, watching the road carefully as he drove.

"Yeah. I got a book for myself and a cookbook for the kitchen. So now you won't have to starve when I buy a house," Ed joked, neglecting to mention the _other_ book he had bought.

"Oh, _ha ha_, very funny," Roy said, sarcastically. He hated the fact that Ed would be moving out as soon as they found an affordable house. He really didn't want to be all alone again.

Five minutes later, they pulled into the driveway and parked, turning off the car. The rain was worse than ever and Roy was sure that lightning would show up sooner or later. They stepped out of the car and ran up the stairs leading to Roy's front door. The taller man jammed his key into the lock and turned, opening the door in a flash. He put the key in his pocket and closed the door once Ed was inside as well.

"Whew," Ed panted slightly, tossing the bag of books onto the couch. He abandoned his shoes at the door and sat next to the bag. Roy kicked off his shoes and walked into the kitchen, placing his cell phone on the countertop. He smiled at the light green walls and took two green apples off of the plate on the counter. He took a step back and looked at Ed through the doorless doorway.

"Think fast," Roy said and tossed the apple to Ed, who expertly caught it in his flesh hand.

"Thanks," he said, taking a bite out of the apple.

Roy walked around his house in search of candles. He had a feeling that the power was going to go out at some point. He found a multitude of candles in the downstairs bathroom, the unused dining room, and upstairs in his bedroom. He came back downstairs with an assortment of candles and placed four in the living room and three in the kitchen.

"Just in case," he muttered more to himself than to Ed.

"Better safe than sorry," Ed agreed.

Thunder rumbled outside and reverberated throughout the room, seeming to almost shake the house on its foundation. As expected, the lights flickered for a second before returning to normal. Roy and Ed shared a glance before splitting up to find some matches.

Ed hit the jackpot in the one of the kitchen drawers and returned to the living room with them in his hand. Roy lit all of the candles and sat down on the pull-out bed.

"I think I'm going to my own bed tonight," Roy stated as Ed sat down next to him.

"Yeah, me too," Ed said, wondering if he should bring up what had happened that morning. He decided that he would, so he could set things straight.

"Look, about this morning...I'm sorry. I used to--"

Roy raised his hand to silence the other. "It's fine, Ed."

"But, I'm saying that I used to--"

"And I'm saying that it's fine, Edward. Don't worry about it," Roy quelled.

The two sat in silence for a minute before Ed stood up and announced that he was going to go to bed. Roy decided that he should turn in early as well because his sleeping pattern had been off for a few days.

As the pair were walking through the kitchen, a loud clap of thunder seemed to shake the room and the lights went out not soon after. Ed's heart was pounding. He hated being in the dark.

"Ed? Can you make it to your bedroom without hurting yourself?" Roy's smirk could almost be heard in his voice. Ed sacrificied his pride and dignity and replied with a "no". He heard footsteps coming toward him and he closed his eyes. He felt a hand on his elbow and his heartbeat sped up considerably.

"It's just me. I'll lead you to your room," Roy's deep voice relaxed him as he felt the hand travel down his arm and grab his own hand. Their fingers weren't laced, but their hands were cupped; Ed realized that he was holding hands with Roy. He might have been blushing, but no one could tell in the dark, not even himself.

The hand tugged gently on his own, pulling him forward. Ed walked blindly through the kitchen and into the dining room. He heard something like a chair scrape across the dining room floor followed by a whispered curse word. If Ed hadn't been using Roy to get upstairs without any injuries, he would have laughed.

Another scraping sound ensured that the chair had been pushed none-too-gently out of the way. Roy led him in a big curve around where the chair might have been sitting, making sure that Ed missed it by a longshot. They reached the stairs and ascended them at their own leisurely pace. Without any major mishaps, they reached the top of the stairs.

They stood on the landing in silence, still holding hands, listening to the rain and thunder hammering the roof. Of course, it was Ed who broke the tranquil silence.

"Thanks, Roy. Hey, maybe you'll get that dance after all," the blond joked; Roy could tell that Ed was grinning shyly. He could just tell by his voice.

"I hope so. I daresay I've been waiting for far too long," Roy said, jokingly. Ed snickered.

"Alright...well.... Good night," the blond looked at where he thought Roy's face would be.

"G'night, Ed," the older man yawned, turning to go to his own bedroom. It was like a magnetic force was trying to draw them together. It almost pained the men to walk away from one another. Each felt the need to turn around for whatever reason, but they didn't, instead choosing to walk on and close their bedroom doors behind them.

Ed stood with his back against the closed door, wondering what was wrong with him. Roy did the very same, except he wondered whether Ed had felt the magnetic attraction as well. They resigned themselves to bed and fell asleep, each man's thoughts consisting of the other man.


	6. Chapter 6

Roy tumbled out of bed the next morning, cursing as he stubbed his toe on his night stand's leg. Glaring at the offending piece of furniture until he was semi-content, Roy stumbled downstairs, following the alluring scent of breakfast down the stairs.

He turned around the corner and blinked at the minty green paint before smiling a bit. He hardly recognized his kitchen anymore. The walls were painted a cheery color, the once bare counter top was now hardly recognizable with all of the things neatly lined up on it. Napkin holders, salt and pepper shakers, and fruit baskets were placed upon the spotless counter, giving it that homey touch that Roy had never been able to achieve.

But the thing that made his kitchen most foreign to him was Edward. Roy leaned on the corner wall to study his companion in his element. Ed had a knack for interior design and cooking, too. The short blond was bustling about the kitchen while sipping out of a mug full of what Roy supposed was coffee. He practically inhaled the drink as if his life depended on it, taking a sip every few seconds.

The older man decided to show himself just as Ed returned to the frying pan in which slices of bacon were sizzling away.

"Up a bit early today, aren't we?" Roy smirked as his friend frowned, a wrinkle of annoyance marring his face.

"So, what? Is it a crime or something?" he huffed irritably, flipping a slice of bacon over with a fork.

"No, not at all. It's just a bit...unusual. That's all," Roy grabbed his favorite blue mug and poured himself a piping hot cup of coffee. Black with no creamer or sugar. Only a small amount of milk. The way he liked it.

"Well, maybe I have somewhere to be," Ed answered cryptically.

"Oh," Roy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "And..._do you_ have somewhere to be?"

A pause, then a grimace.

"No."

"Ah," Roy smirked, setting the table for two. Ed glanced over and gave him an amused look.

"Who said I was cooking for you?" he grinned cheekily.

The older of the two seemed to ponder something for a moment before smirking.

"You know, Ed...I was planning on going to the bookshop today, but if I have to stand around a hot stove all morning, I might not feel like it la--"

"Roy!" the blond suddenly smiled warmly at him. "Of _course_ there's enough food left for you!"

"I thought so," he smirked triumphantly at his clear victory as he continued to set the table.

The two spent the afternoon in each others' company, browsing the bookshop and criticizing nearly every type of book out there. Roy liked political intrigue while Ed was rather fond of science fiction. The ebony-haired man had decided to dote on his roommate and buy him the newest book of his favorite sci-fi series. After many mortified "thank-you's", Ed had accepted the gift and carried it around in a plastic bag as they walked around town.

They stopped by a new café for some more coffee and sandwiches. The blond seemed to have fallen in love with the modern, hip feel of the place, (as well as the discount the old cashier had given him) and promised the elderly cashier that he would come back. Roy suspected that, as long as Ed wore pants as tight as the ones he had donned today, the cashier would be more than happy to give him another discount.

Roy had followed along behind the blond all day, almost hypnotized by the swaying ponytail that shone gold in the sunlight. They walked, talked, stopped for breaks, walked in the park, and finally came back to their house, sighing contentedly as their adventure came to an end.

"I had fun," Ed said, toeing his shoes off by the door. Roy followed suit while nodding.

"I'm exhausted," he mumbled, feeling as though his eyelids were being pulled down by miniature weights attached to his eyelashes. His eyes almost itched from overuse as he plopped down on the couch. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief when the itching stopped. His eyes watered, but he kept them closed until he felt the couch cushion beside him sink as well. He peeked through his eyelid and raised an eyebrow at Ed, who closed his eyes, seemingly unaware that he was being observed.

"We're doing this room next," he murmured, opening an eyelid to peek at Roy, who blushed at being caught. Roy draped his arm over the back of the couch, mentally cursing when he brushed Ed's shoulder. He didn't dare open an eyelid, for fear of making eye contact with the blond. Instead, he kept his arm where it was, stiff and unmoving. He tensed considerably, still not knowing whether he had reached the end of Ed's limits – what Ed would and would not allow.

Apparently, this was allowed, because the blond didn't call him out. Instead (although it wasn't like Roy could see it), a small grin played on Ed's lips as the older man's fingertips brushed against his shoulder. There was a small shift of movement as Ed leaned into the touch, breathing through his nose as the fingers on his shoulder tightened. The smile on the younger man's lips grew as they both sat, dozing off on the couch as the rest of the day flew by and melted into night.

When Roy woke up from his light nap, it must have been nearly ten o'clock at night. The room had grown dark, since they hadn't bothered to turn any lamps on when they had come home. A warmth all along his left side was enough to tell him that Ed was still there, curled up next to him almost like a cat would have done.

Instead of waking his friend, Roy stayed still, preferring to wait until Ed came-to. Without even thinking, he pushed the fringe of blond bangs behind his sleeping companion's ears, uncovering that amazing face as he did so. From his higher angle, Roy couldn't see much but the straight line of Ed's nose, his sharp cheekbones, and sun-kissed skin. Long lashes fluttered for a moment before stilling once more. The dark-haired man released a bated breath before he ran his hands gingerly through the mess of blond hair, mussing it up even further.

"You're such a mystery to me," he whispered into the darkness, looking down at his roommate with a smile.

"You're so...fierce and...intense. You're passionate and intelligent. You're so young, yet so talented...." he watched the rise and fall of the younger man's chest against his side and breathed out, looking around the dim living room.

"You're honest...dependable. You're graceful, too. Ha. You'd most likely kick me if you were awake and I told you that, wouldn't you?" Roy felt like breaking the silence with his soft words, even if Ed couldn't hear him. He just wanted to express his emotions for once – for _once_ – without being ridiculed. He was always careful to guard his emotions and hardly ever let someone slip through his masks.

"You're just so damn beautiful, Ed." he twisted the golden ponytail around his fingers gently, careful not to pull the hair. "You're perfect."

A heartbeat.

"What...?"

Ed had woken up. He had heard every word.

_Fuck_.


	7. Chapter 7

Roy's mind was going into overload, but all that ran through his crowded mind was '_fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck_' as he froze, a hand still in Ed's hair.

"Ed, I know what you must--"

"You said that I was--"

They started simultaneously. Ed gave an annoyed huff of laughter and rested his tense neck on Roy's shoulder once more. They waited in silence, and, for a while, neither of the men spoke. Darkness consumed the room, and only the distant rumble of thunder could be heard. Roy's hand hadn't moved from its spot in Ed's golden ponytail, but the shorter of the two hadn't done commented on it.

"What did you mean? You..." Ed paused, no doubt searching for the right words to use to express himself as clearly as possible, "said I was...perfect. _Perfect_."

The last word was whispered, and the confusion was thick in the blond's voice. Roy closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as he let his hand drop from his companion's hair. The loss of warmth was enough to make his heart pang, and damned near enough to make him whimper.

"Perfect," Roy stated simply, not really caring to elaborate any further if he could help it.

"Perfect?" Ed's voice inflected to show his curiosity. Rain pounded on the roof overhead.

Roy wondered what to do next.

The butterflies in his stomach were caressing his insides with their wings, and he wasn't sure if he trusted himself enough to speak, not knowing what he would say. For a moment, he let his hands do the talking. His hands, pale and elegant, tangled themselves slowly in a long, dark blond ponytail, tendrils of hair weaving in-between his fingers. Ed turned his head questioningly and leaned slightly away from Roy.

"Perfect," Roy breathed. He looked into what he could see of Ed's eyes; the lack of light prevented him from seeing very much. He was "dying" to see Ed's reaction – his face. His friend was like an open book. Edward had almost never hidden his emotions from him, instead choosing – _choosing_ – to showcase them to Roy. He trusted Roy, and Roy would have rather broken both of his arms rather than betray that trust.

Without so much as a word, the older man stood, sweeping across the room, and out of the front door. He really just needed some time to think – some time for himself. Fuck, he couldn't think right now if he had to. His thoughts weren't even racing, per usual, but his brain just felt useless. Dead.

He walked out into the rain, not bothering to shield his already soaked hair and clothes from the relentless pouring of water. He squinted up at the dark night sky, letting the rain pound down upon his head and his face. Streaks of pure water raced down his face, making him laugh humorlessly.

A door slammed.

Roy's head whipped around to see who had come to join him, though he already knew the answer. Gusts of wind chilled his body as his gaze locked with that of Edward Elric. He looked almost intimidating as he stood on the porch, as still as a statue. Wind whipped his bangs around his angelic face, but his expression wasn't that of a heavenly being. It was one of anger.

Roy's heart thumped in his chest before stopping for one whole beat. What was he to do now? He was caught, not that he could've gone too far anyway. Ed would have found him walking down the street in a matter of minutes. Besides, what was running going to solve? Nothing.

In a flash and blur of gold and black, Ed was rushing forward, arm drawn back in a straight line. A flat palm collided with his cheek before he knew what had happened. A resounding _SMACK _echoed in his ears as pain blossomed across the tender skin, the rain doing hardly anything to soothe it. Roy's hand flew up to his cheek and rubbed the spot, his heart aching more than his reddening cheek.

"Don't you _ever_ fucking run off like that again," Ed's voice was husky and raspy. Roy's eyelids wanted to droop at the sound of his voice, but he forced himself to look Ed straight in the eyes.

But, once again, the smaller man launched himself forward, but this time, not to attack. Arms threw themselves around Roy's neck as soft lips attacked his own in a rough kiss. A wet kiss, when you threw rain into the equation. An electrifying kiss. Ed bit down none too gently on his bottom lip, and that was all it took. His control _snapped_.

A deep groan escaped from his throat as hands touched the small of Ed's back, only to groan again (this time in disappointment) when the blond moved beyond his reach. They stood in the rain for a second before one of them spoke.

"That's it. That's all your getting...for now," Ed spoke slowly. "Get your ass inside, change your clothes...and meet me in the dining room."

'_The dining room_?' Roy thought, furrowing his eyebrows as he watched the object of his newly-found affections trudge up the porch stairs. '_Why the dining room_?'

As if answering his unspoken question, Ed turned on his heel, smiling crookedly at the older man.

"We've got to put that room to _some_ use after all."

Roy practically sprinted up the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Roy stood in his own dining room, dripping with rain and tensed with anticipation. Ed stood against the long, polished dining room table, his eyes casting a smoldering look in his direction. The hairs on the back of the older man's neck stood at attention...as well as another part of his body. The atmosphere was smothering him, and if he didn't do anything about it now, he was sure he would burst.

Without a word of warning, Ed closed the distance between them swiftly and silently, wrapping his arms around Roy's neck. Like a faulty rubber band, Roy's restraint snapped, and his hands snuck down to grab Ed's ass, lifting him off of the ground and onto his hips. Automail limbs accounted for, Ed was a bit heavier than he looked, but Roy ignored the slight strain on his arms in favor of looking into his companion's amber-colored eyes.

Emotion flashed across the younger man's eyes, and left behind a blazing trail of want, need, and pulsating desire. That look alone was enough to make Roy's libido sing with joy. Knowing that he could do this to Ed was beyond empowering; it was something he wanted to experience more than just this once. It was _addictive_.

A hot, wet something – presumably (hopefully) a tongue – licked a trail up Roy's neck, and hot breath fanned out over the column of tender skin, heating it in a flash. The dark-haired man parted his lips and squeezed the solid muscles of the body he was holding off of the wooden floor. The only thing that kept Ed off of the ground was Roy's iron grip on his ass, and neither of them were complaining.

In a hurry, the surgeon spun around and threw Ed up against the wall, making sure the blond's legs were wrapped securely around his waist. Ed's breath momentarily left him as he collided with the wall, but he made no comment on the rough treatment. He knew that Roy was as eager as he was.

A band of arm wrapped supported Ed's lower back as another arm gripped his chin gently – lovingly. Tender lips tentatively touched...the heat between them – something phenomenal. With a breathy moan, Ed leaned toward Roy rather than the wall and crushed their lips together, gripping his soon-to-be lover's midnight-black hair with one hand, and twisting the soaking material of his shirt with the other.

The moan echoed throughout the room, and the taller of the two found that he wanted – _desperately wanted_ – to make it happen again. And again. And again. He was sure he would never tire of that sound.

Their hips grinded in a slow, tantalizingly erotic movement, almost as if they were dancing. Dirty-dancing, mind you, but dancing all the same. Elegant fingers tangled themselves in golden locks of hair – wet locks of hair. He tugged on the ponytail, eliciting a low growl from his partner. The growl was almost lost with the thunder – as well as the low ringing of...a cell phone?

Roy nearly wept from the unfairness of it. He groaned pathetically as he turned to walk out of the dining room, Ed still attached to his front side – hot, hard, and wanting more. Ed moaned in his ear, almost seeming as if he was hoping to distract Roy from his phone call. And the older man wanted to give in. He wanted to give in so badly and throw his blond up against the nearest object and fuck him raw, but he gave Ed an apologetic look and kissed him one last time before answering the phone dejectedly.

"Roy Mustang speaking," he answered dully, trying not to let the disappointment show in his voice when Ed detached himself and walked off into the dining room once more. He bitterly turned his attention to his caller – one of his coworkers. His eyes widened at the news.

"His condition is critical? How did this happen?" he demanded an explanation. The room was silent as the caller squawked in his ear.

"Okay. Okay, yes. I'll be there in fifteen minutes if I hurry. Yes, a-huh. Bye," he hung up and cursed quietly, so as not to let Ed hear him.

"What's the matter?" a voice from the dining room doorway spoke softly.

"Simple surgery gone wrong. I don't know the exact details, but I've got to rush." He paused to look at his roommate, ebony eyes conveying sorrow and unspoken apologies. The smaller man tried to give a smile, but it only came out as a lopsided grin.

"It's okay. Hurry. Someone's life is depending on you," he whispered the last part, his lips parted – eyes clouded with slowly fading lust and something like admiration.

"I know," Roy whispered back, crossing the room with a single stride. He wrapped his arms around his...his...? He vaguely wondered if he and Ed were to the point of dating, but he could hardly voice his thoughts at the moment. He had somewhere to be, whether he liked it or not. That person's life would not wait for him forever.

"I've got to go. I'm...I'll be back as soon as I can. You probably shouldn't wait up for me," he breathed in the scent of shampoo and faint cinnamon.

"I will anyways," Ed grinned, planting a firm kiss on Roy's neck and then his lips. "Go, hurry, and drive safely."

"Love you," the words left Roy's mouth before he could stop them. They froze – time froze...it must have.

A few more heartbeats. The surgeon grabbed his coat, car keys, and cell phone and left Edward standing alone in the middle of the room.

"...You too." was the silence-shattering response.


	9. Chapter 9

After six grueling hours of surgery, Roy was driving back to his house at nearly six o'clock in the morning. The sun was already peeking out from over the horizon, and Roy couldn't have been more exhausted. He drove wearily, doing his best to avoid swerving all over the road.

Amazingly, he made it home without incident (or in this case, accident), and parked his car in the driveway. He sat in his car for a moment and contemplated just falling asleep right there in the front seat, but he knew that the inside of his car wouldn't remain warm for very long, so he begrudgingly got out of his car. Cold air slapped his face as he practically dragged his legs up the stairs, but he couldn't bring himself to hurry; he was just too tired.

Finally, he reached the front door and, twisting the knob, he pushed the door open with his shoulder. What he saw made him stop short. He barely remembered to close the door behind him as he gazed at the sleeping figure on the couch.

Edward was sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep. One arm was flung out to the side, while the prosthetic arm lay across his eyes, blocking out any sunlight shining through the living room windows. His golden ponytail was messy, and a bit of drool was threatening to slide out of his mouth and down his face, but…Roy had never seen anything or anyone look so beautiful.

Roy thought back to what he'd said the previous night. It rang through his head like a bell that would never stop its incessant chiming.

"_Love you_."

The dark-haired man clenched his teeth at the memory. He couldn't have really said that, could he have? Roy wanted to bang his head against the wall for ever having said those words in the first place. Even if they were true.

"Edward," Roy whispered, shaking his head as he smiled at his roommate, "what am I ever going to do with you?"

"Breakfaaast," groaned the blond, apparently having half-heard his companion.

Roy smirked. "I said what am I going to do _with_ you. Not _for_ you."

"Shuddup and make me breakfast," Ed grumbled, stirring slightly. He moved the arm over his eyes in favor of glaring at Roy. Though, half-asleep, the young man didn't seem all too intimidating.

"Okay, I will," Roy chuckled. "How'd you sleep? I hope you didn't stay up too late waiting for me."

"Oh, I don't even remember what time I fell asleep. I'm still kinda tired though. Which is why you should make me breakfast," Ed replied, rubbing his eyes with his flesh hand.

And, even though Roy's eyes were itching with exhaustion as well, he walked into the kitchen and proceeded to make Ed some breakfast.

Just a few minutes before everything was finished cooking, the blond stumbled into the kitchen, probably sleepwalking.

"Almost done," Roy announced, sliding another slice of bacon onto the humongous plate of food. Ed's eyes bugged with surprise.

"You didn't have to make all that," he said. "Eggs would've been just fine."

"No, it's fine," Roy replied, feeling the slightly awkward atmosphere settle around them. He turned off the stove and handed the plate of food to his companion. "Bon appetit."

"Merci," Ed grinned, taking his plate to the table. "Want some?"

Roy grinned back. "Do I want some…what?"

Ed looked stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered, smirking. He sent the older man a sultry look.

"Anything you want," said the blond.

"…Anything?" Roy asked, taking a tentative step forward. He was almost afraid to pick up where they had left off the night before.

Ed glanced down at his plate and, with a devilish smile playing on his lips, dipped his middle finger into the small pool of maple syrup and let the thick liquid trickle down his finger. He purposefully caught Roy's eye and made sure to keep eye contact as he slid the digit into his own mouth and sucked on it suggestively. Roy's lips parted as he watched the act with lust-glazed eyes.

Toeing off his shoes, the older man strode across the kitchen and, after a moment's hesitation, sat down at the table in the chair next to Ed. He scooted his chair away from the table and smirked back at Ed, patting his lap as he did so. The blond got the hint.

Ed stood up only to plop back down into Roy's lap a second later. Strong arms wrapped around his torso and eager hands were mapping out his back thoroughly, as if they wanted to memorize every little detail.

The younger man buried his face into the crook of Roy's neck and sucked a bit of skin in-between his teeth, earning a soft groan in his ear. Suddenly, he was being lifted.

Roy lifted his partner up and onto the kitchen table, earning a spectacular sight: Ed, but Ed like he had never seen him before. Lusty, eager, and uncertain all at the same time.

"What's wrong?" the older man asked, worry etched on his face.

Ed glanced down. "The scars," was all he said.

"Scars?" Roy furrowed his eyebrows. What was Ed talking about?

"Uh…scars from…the car crash that gave me these," he gestured to his prosthetic limbs, nervousness still etched deep within his expression.

"Oh, okay. Don't worry, Ed," Roy gave him a small smile and pecked him on the lips.

When Ed still looked uncertain, Roy said something he never thought he'd say in his life.

"I love you."

The world stopped.

"You - " Ed began, but Roy interrupted.

"I'm saying that I love you, Edward. No matter what your scars look like, no matter what your prosthetics look like, no matter if you drool in your sleep," Roy chuckled at Ed's bewildered expression. "I love you."

With that, he delved into the confines of the blond's pants and grabbed what he was looking for, earning a sharp intake of breath. They did away with the pants, throwing them across the room, but left on Ed's boxers.

One by one, Roy kissed the scars on Ed's left leg, listening to the rather unsteady sound of the blond's breathing from above. He kissed a path up the leg and pulled down the boxers simultaneously. Without a second thought, he took Ed's hard member into his mouth.

"Shit," Ed breathed, looking down at the top of Roy's head as if he couldn't believe that this was really happening. He watched the midnight-black-haired head bob up and down his length, base to length and back again. He moaned as Roy's tongue swept across the head of his penis, lapping at it with satisfaction. He twisted the black locks Roy's hair in-between his fingers and tried not to tug on the locks when the older man made a particularly loud slurping noise.

The noise, however, was immediately followed by the ringing of a doorbell. Ed groaned, readying himself for the disappointment to come, but it never came. Roy kept right on sucking, pretending as though he'd never heard the doorbell ring.

"Roy," Ed gasped out, tangling his fingers in the dark hair again, "s-someone's at the door. Stop."

Roy kept sucking. Ed delivered a long, drawn out moan and bucked up into the hot, wet cavern with fervor and need. The doorbell rang again.

"For fuck's sake, Roy. A-answer the damned - " the doorbell rang again " - door!"

His hot mouth moved even faster over Ed's member, sucking ardently. Ed bucked up, slid down Roy's throat, and came. Hard.

Feeling satisfied and slightly woozy, Ed smiled at his partner, nearly forgetting that someone was at the door until the doorbell rang once more.

"Shit! Get the door. I'll be upstairs," the smaller man hopped off of the table and, clad in only his boxers, his member still hanging out in the open, ran by Roy, who smacked his ass as he went up the stairs.

Wiping his mouth, the raven-haired man sighed and walked into the living room and opened the door to reveal Maes Hughes. Roy glared at him. That man had the worst timing imaginable.

"Hey, Roy! May I come in for a few? It looks like it's gonna rain again sometime soon," he said, looking up at the grey, cloud-filled sky suspiciously. Cue the rumble of thunder. Hughes smiled sheepishly as Roy moved aside to let his best friend into the warm confines of his house.

They walked into the kitchen where, not two minutes before, Roy had given his beloved a blowjob. He smiled at the table as Hughes asked a question.

"Where's the blondie?" he asked, a grin playing on his lips.

"Who? Ed?" Roy asked, stupidly, having been caught in his own daydream. '_Damned Hughes and his insightfulness.'_

"Yes, Ed," Hughes confirmed, raising an eyebrow out of amusement.

"Upstairs," he replied nonchalantly.

"Oh. Say, your kitchen's really clean, Roy," Hughes leaned in, "except for those pants laying in the floor."

Maes pointed and, sure enough, Ed's pants were laying in the floor, unbuttoned and unzipped.

Roy's face burned. Hughes just laughed.

(A/N: Please forgive any errors there might be for now. It's 6:23 in the morning. -_-;)


End file.
